STORY SUMMARY
Kay Scarpetta, the chief medical examiner and forensic pathologist for the state of Virginia, is the star witness in a sensational murder trial. She is being grilled and doesn't like the spot she is in. She is in the middle of the trial when she gets some shocking news. The judge, Annie Chilton, has a sister named Rachael. Rachael has just been found dead at the end of the day when Kay finally can step off the witness stand.
She rushes off to Chilton Farms where Annie lives and where her sister has been staying while going through a divorce, only to find that at first the death seems to be the result of a home invasion gone bad. But....why was nothing stolen? and why are there dead plants, birds and insects strewn all over the garden and driveway??
There doesn't seem to be any outright cause of death but Scarpetta begins to recognize some disturbing signs of the unthinkable....... and she knows there is more to come. The forensic pathologist and her husband Benton, who works for the FBI and is a profiler, find themselves up against a powerful force that has her returning to her past. Their time to catch the killer is running out.....and will they find what they suspect is a terrorist group? And then they discover yet another body....the beloved owner (Wally) of the small mini mart and gas station nearby.
MY THOUGHTS
This is a bit scarily realistic. I could see this happening and it probably has in some of our nations around the world. The author goes into quite a lot of scientific explanation regarding the Havana Syndrome. I had never heard of microwave energy attacks and it doesn't surprise me that this yet another weapon of mass destruction. Or could be.
She sets the book in the present and alludes to the terrorists of January 6, 2021. It's brilliant, actually, how she ties in the current political scene.
As usual, the author ties in the other long-standing characters and gets them involved in the mystery and solving of just what happened to Rachael and Wally. Lucy, her genius niece and Pete Marino who also works as an investigator, help Kay and Benton solve these crimes. I love how the trial is woven into the story and the ending caps up everything very neatly.
I did get bogged down in parts about the science behind the microwave attacks but she explains it simply enough for someone like me to understand. That, in my opinion, was the only slow part of the book.
In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 14 and older.
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 9.
2 comments:
I haven't read anything by this author, but I will look up her books and see if I can start with the first one. This sounds really good. Thanks for reviewing! Have a good Sunday!
Well this does sound interesting. I haven't read this author before.
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